Chapter 70: Kabuto: I Didn’t Start This Fight

Naruto gritted his teeth, his face pale with worry.

He had no idea if submitting a paper full of cooking techniques would get him immediately disqualified by the proctor. Honestly, he'd really wanted to break free from the curse of being a genin.

Sitting there with his pen in his mouth, Naruto racked his brain for a solution.

Meanwhile, Sasuke, sitting at the back of the room, had also finished his exam. If anyone could see his paper, they'd be shocked by its content: theories about fusing different types of fire-style jutsu, calculations for explosion radii... basically, it was just as absurd as Naruto's culinary-themed answers.

Sakura, seeing both her teammates scribbling furiously, couldn't help but cheer inwardly.

"Yes! They actually know how to answer these difficult questions!"

"Naruto, I really underestimated you!"

"We've got this in the bag!"

Feeling reassured, Sakura returned her focus to her own test.

As for the rest of the exam hall...

Everyone was using whatever trick they could think of—whether it was using bugs, controlling grains of sand to spy on other papers, or even employing dogs as lookouts. The cheating methods were as bizarre as they were creative.

Compared to the chaos around them, Team 7 seemed oddly... well-behaved.

Naruto, however, was still frowning, gnawing on his pen as his mind raced.

No, he couldn't just sit there and do nothing.

Given the reputation Team 7 had in the village, he couldn't believe that yelling his way through the exam like in the original story would actually work this time.

It looked like he'd have to come up with another plan.

Whoosh—

As Naruto pondered his next move, a kunai whizzed past his ear, flying toward a student sitting behind him. The shocked student glared at the proctor.

"Hey... what are you doing?!"

"Heh, you've been caught cheating five times. Disqualified!"

With that, the student and his teammates were escorted out of the exam hall, and Naruto's eyes lit up.

I get it!

Get caught cheating five times and the whole team is disqualified!

His previously anxious expression shifted into one full of mischief.

Oh, you outsiders have no idea—Konoha's Chūnin Exams don't tolerate cheaters!

His eyes scanned the room, finally landing on a Konoha ninja wearing glasses.

If I remember correctly, that guy should be Kabuto.

With a sly grin, Naruto scribbled on a small scrap of paper, carefully filling it with tiny, cramped writing. Glancing at the proctors to make sure no one was watching, he flicked the paper ball toward Kabuto with a sharp snap of his fingers.

Whoosh—

Kabuto, focused on his test, suddenly heard the sound of something cutting through the air near his ear. Before he could react, his glasses shattered.

What the...?

Kabuto blinked in confusion, staring at the paper ball that had just hit him. With growing curiosity, he opened it, finding it covered in densely packed writing.

At that moment, Naruto dramatically lifted his mask, revealing his unmistakable blonde hair, and raised his hand, his voice ringing out boldly.

"Proctor! That guy is cheating!"

"I'm reporting him!!"

As he shouted, he pointed directly at Kabuto, who was sitting in a corner of the room.

Kabuto: ???

Huh?

Kabuto stared blankly at the paper in his hand, utterly baffled.

Not just him—proctor Ibiki Morino and the other examiners were just as confused.

In the back row, Sakura's face darkened. She knew her teammate was about to start causing trouble.

Meanwhile, several Konoha students who were trying to cheat felt their hearts tighten with anxiety.

Please, don't make this worse!

They had only just started collecting answers, and now Naruto was reporting their own village's ninja?

Everyone from Konoha who knew Naruto was starting to panic.

As for the other village's candidates, they were only slightly nervous, figuring they could resume cheating once the storm passed, oblivious to what was about to unfold.

"Candidate 90, one count of cheating."

Ibiki finally spoke up.

Hearing that he'd just been docked a point for cheating, Kabuto was thoroughly aggrieved.

He had done this exam countless times! Cheating? He wouldn't stoop that low!

This was all Naruto Uzumaki's doing—he was being framed!

Kabuto prided himself on having a calm temperament, but as he realized he was being falsely accused, his chest heaved with frustration.

I'll endure it.

I can't afford to let my emotions ruin Lord Orochimaru's plans!

At least that was his thought, until...

Whoosh—

Another sharp sound, and once again, Naruto was pointing straight at him.

"Proctor!"

"That glasses-wearing guy is cheating again!"

"Konoha can't tolerate such disgraceful behavior!"

"Cheating in an exam brings shame to your entire family!"

Konoha ninja: ???

What's with this guy? Reporting someone is one thing, but why insult them too?

Naruto stood tall, voice filled with righteousness as he even managed to sprinkle in some all-encompassing insults.

"Proctor! I'm not cheating!" Kabuto finally couldn't take it anymore, standing up to defend himself.

"Look at the paper on your desk!"

"I saw it."

The room was growing increasingly chaotic, and Ibiki finally stepped in to stop the argument.

"That's enough! Candidate 90, this is your second offense."

Ibiki rubbed his temples, trying to control his frustration. Not only did the other candidates want to deal with this blonde menace, he himself was tempted to drag Naruto out of the room and give him a good beating.

Does he not understand that this exam is meant to assess intelligence gathering?

"Candidate 3, if you keep disrupting the exam..."

"But the rules don't say I can't report others for cheating, do they?" Naruto cut him off, hitting him with the letter of the law.

"Uh..."

Ibiki opened his mouth to argue, but Naruto's words stopped him cold. He couldn't deny that the boy was technically right. If it had been anyone else pulling this stunt, Ibiki would have thrown them out without hesitation...

But this was Naruto Uzumaki, the biggest troublemaker in Konoha. If Ibiki kicked him out, the kid might actually tear the place down.

Damn it! This is a nightmare!

Don't tell me he plans to get everyone disqualified by reporting them one by one...

The other candidates' eyes lit up as they overheard Naruto's argument.

Wait a minute!

All we have to do is catch other people cheating and we'll pass, right?

Suddenly, the mood in the exam hall shifted. Instead of finding ways to cheat, everyone began focusing on trying to frame each other for cheating.

Within minutes, the room had devolved into a chaotic mess of accusations and shouting matches. Many candidates were disqualified, with Kabuto being the first to go.

As for anyone who tried to accuse Team 7, they were silenced by Naruto's well-aimed stones before they could even finish their complaints.

Naruto, meanwhile, was taking mental notes of everyone who had tried to target him. After the exam, he'd make sure to find them all and deal with them personally.

Ibiki and the other proctors were on the verge of pulling their hair out. They could never have imagined the exam would turn into such a circus.

In the end, Ibiki was forced to put a stop to the madness.

"Everyone, SHUT UP!"

"Now!"

"Hand in your papers!!"

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